Sprue Cutters Union #7: My Significant Other

This week's Sprue Cutters Union topic asks us to delve into our spouse's mind and examine how they feel about our hobby. I've been stalling as it isn't the easiest question to answer.
Simply put, she is supportive. As supportive as she can be behind a guise of relative indifference.
It is not surprise that she doesn't get all excited when I come home from the hobby shop, or just finished my latest project. I mean, let's face it, building models doesn't attract many women, either to the hobby or to the modeler. I've never heard any one say, "chicks dig my scale models."
Well, some might. A very small few.
Out of all the people who follow my Facebook page, only a mere four percent of them are women. Just walk around any national convention or even local clubs and tell me how many women you come across that actually participate. Go ahead. I'll wait.

Guys, this hobby is one huge proverbial sausage fest, which is why I consider myself lucky to have as supportive a wife as I do. In our seven year marriage, and our thirteen year relationship, she has never done anything to impede the enjoyment of my humble obsession. This is significant when I consider she has told me that it can sometimes get on her nerves.

But how does a hobby as menial and benign as scale modeling rub some one the wrong way?

My wife has told me, on more than one occasion, that I have "a problem". My rebuttal is generally along the lines of defending it as a good problem to have, because I could be doing worse things with my time. Right?
Never the less, she usually just gives me a wry smile and lets me carry on.
There are times I'll catch myself foraging like a squirrel in the back yard, digging up roots and twigs to use on my diorama, or snatching tongue depressors from the doctors office, and I'll pause and think perhaps she may be on to something.
Maybe I don't give her enough credit, dealing with an individual as far gone as I am. It must not be easy trying to explain to your parents that your husband is tearing bark off a tree stump in their front yard because it replicates rock so perfectly when painted just the right shade of gray. I can certainly see how this can be slightly befuddling to her.

Just the other day she found me hunched over the kitchen table, Dremel in hand, vigorously shredding plastic and cutting parts off the AMT Imperial Walker I was working on. Little bits flew around the room while I, the be-goggled mad scientist, carried on oblivious. When I saw her staring at me, I stopped as she said, "You're in deeper than I thought."
She had never seen me perform surgery on a model before. In our previous home, such gruesome procedures were hidden from her view in the basement. Now a days, I'm forced to used the kitchen table as this house has no alternative space for me to work in. Hence, my obsession is laid out in full for her to see. Honestly, for some one as sweet as my wife it must be heart wrenching to observe.
She is neat and organized. Ask any modeler to show you their workbench on any given day and they will gladly display images of their horrifyingly messy conglomeration of paints, tools, references photos, glue bottles, and unidentifiable plastic parts spread across a surface, the top of which can't be seen under all the heterogeneous matter. This is what she sees on a nightly basis. Her world of cleanliness and order, torn apart regularly. Indeed, I can see how this could get on her nerves a bit.

Perhaps the largest irritant for her is the amount of time I spend involved in the hobby. I must admit, since starting this blog I have been far more driven by modeling than I have in the past. I spend a lot of time building, and when I'm not at the workbench I am writing as I am now, or maintaining the Facebook page.
She has told me that she estimatesroughly ninety percent of my thoughts are of modeling. Realistically, this can't be true, but she makes a good point. I do think about it a lot. But lately, I have been more aware of my time and understand that maintaining a balance between hobby and family is crucial in retaining her support and strengthening our relationship.

Despite her support, I know it only goes so far. She knows I have been bitten by a bug and suffer from a disease that I will die a happy death from...
I know she doesn't quite get it, and likely never will. She is immune to the modeling bug, and is watching helplessly as it slowly consumes her husband. She won't understand the lure of the hobby shop, the blissful aroma of Tamiya acrylics, or the soothing hum of an air compressor. She can't comprehend the long nights, and time consuming techniques. She can't fathom driving for several hours to attend a convention. All of these things we modelers hold dear is lost on her. I know she will never become involved in the hobby beyond contributing every so often to the stash, or offering the occasional compliment wrapped in subtle disinterest. But she still supports me. Minimal interest is better than none at all. Enthusiasm isn't what I ask for. Tolerance is.

In the end, there are two things that I hope for when I examine the future:
1) that one day I will truly impress her with a creation of mine.
2) that I will pass on this hobby to my children.

If she continues to support me, and I continue to balance the reality of life in actual scale with that of miniature, I have no doubt I will accomplish the second goal.......

If you're reading this, Nicole, I love you and thanks for putting up with this guy!

Want to join the Sprue Cutters Union? Its simple. If you model and have a blog that is all you need to start. Just write a post in response to the weekly topic, copy the link in the comments section for that week's assignment and you're in! Check out more detail about joining the Sprue Cutters Union.

I guess many modellers may consider themselves happy, if their partner is not actively dissuading them from spending hobbytime, and allowing the hobby to invade (part of) the house. Even more so when given the occasional compliment, even if it feels like a compliment given to a child for it's unrecognizable drawing :-)

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They say you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Model kits make their first impressions with their box art. While I've never based my decision to purchase a kit solely on what is essentially the hobby's version of a profile picture, a well done work of art does go a long way to inspire me.
Here is a short list of box art that I consider some of the worst, and least inspiring.
Hasegawa Real Thing
Hasegawa has been known to make some pretty attractive box art, but their trend toward using photographs of the real thing are just boring.
Revell's MiG-21PF
Revell's box art is typically OK. This one makes the list, however, because I'm not sure why this Fishbed would have it's air brakes open while in afterburner.

All of Testor's Box Art
Basically the modeling equivalent of still life, it's just objects arranged in a some what photogenic manner that aren't even marginally better than the WIP photos I produce at my workbench. And what&…

A preliminary look at Kitty Hawk's upcoming F-5E/F in 1/32 scale
Several weeks ago, Kitty Hawk announced their intentions to release a large scale Tiger after sharing several CAD images on their Facebook page. It usually isn't prudent to jump all over CAD images with criticism so early on because many things change through the course of a model's production timeline. It would be like saying your child looks nothing like you after catching a glimpse of the ultrasound.
Never the less, the image gives us an idea of part placement, engineering and features like open panels and weapons that will be included. Since as you know I have a distinct fascination with aircraft weaponry, that will be the main point of interest here. So, let's explore the world of the F-5 Tiger II and see if we can't figure out what to expect from Kitty Hawk.

The Kit so far...

These are a few of the images released by Kitty Hawk that show the weaponry apparently included in the kit. The first th…

The AIM-9 Sidewinder is the most successful short range air-to-air missile in the world. Since entering service in 1956, it has been employed by twenty-eight nations worldwide and has seen combat in multiple contested air spaces since its first action in 1958. It's low cost and continuous upgrades have enabled the missile to achieve success well into the 21st Century.
It's incredible life span has allowed the AIM-9 to serve on a range of different air frames, making it the air-to-air missile you will likely see in your kit's box, especially if you intend to build a Western subject. However, through the copied K-13 Soviet version, you may also see it in Eastern Bloc subjects as well like the MiG-21.

So what's this about?
It's not hard to look up the history of the Sidewinder online. Good thing I am not writing a history book. Instead, I recognize that the little missile is quite popular in the United States as well as the air forces of foreign nations. It will appe…